I’ve had a love affair with flowers ever since I was knee-high to a grasshopper.

Ok . . . I was a little taller than that, but definitely pre-kindergarten!

It all began with the pansies! I remember the first time I watched my grandmother planting them in her garden. I was mesmerized. No two were exactly alike, each with markings that resembled little “faces”, and velvety petals in burgundy or purple. (Perhaps that explains my affinity for those colors, even now.)

When I was old enough to take the subway into downtown Boston (either to shop, or in later years to go to work), I was always enchanted with the flower vendor stalls located underground – close to where one would catch a train. First of all, the fragrance was amazing! It would literally assail your nostrils the moment you came anywhere near the stalls. Next, you’d catch that first glimpse of a riot of color – flowers of all kinds, neatly displayed in pails of varying sizes. The prices were really quite reasonable back then. Even my meager babysitting wages could cover the cost of a cheerful bouquet. As a teen, I enjoyed stopping on my way home to purchase flowers for my grandmother. It always seemed like such a “full circle” moment to present them to the one who inspired a love of flowers in me! 😀

After Sir Beads and I had been married a little over a decade, he began to bring me flowers every week. This went on for several years and I absolutely adored it! During that time, our dining table always looked so beautiful. The flowers would change from week to week with each arrangement prettier than the last. Eventually, I decided we should probably be saving the money for necessities, and I reluctantly suggested that he stop. But you know what? Those years of weekly flowers made a lasting impression on all of us. They brought a special joy that lingered long after we discontinued the tradition.

Of course, I still love having fresh flowers in our home from time to time, and I enjoy seeing them grow in our yard. Lately, however, I’ve been busy making flowers. More on that soon! 😀

Memorial Day Weekend – a time for remembering loved ones and countrymen, a time for family gatherings and picnics, and because it’s considered the opening weekend of summer – a time for planting flowers and gardens.

Here in New England, we do not begin serious gardening before Memorial Day as there’s still a possibility of frost up until then. In the next few days, we’ll spend some time working on our flower beds.

In honor of the season, I’m including a sweet vintage seed packet and a quotation with a floral theme!

I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck. ~Emma Goldman